Extracurricular Kidtivities

CK picked baseball for this season.  I really thought he'd pick soccer.  Ryan coached.
The team was a total Badnews Bears lineup.  One kid had severe asthma and couldn't run, one kid (bless his heart - he completely beat the odds the doctor's placed on him) had severe autism and would tackle anyone with the ball - literally, and another kid was a girl that didn't like to run and was scared of the ball. 
(I think God places autistic kids in our care for some reason.  Maybe He knows we can do it.  We have two autistic kids on our street that have been to our house many, many times.  We always end up with an autistic kid or two in our Sunday school class.  One of which required an extra person to tend to him in all of his other classes.  Except, in our class, he didn't need the babysitter.  We were trusted with him.  That is flattery in its finest, people!)
The kids didn't win many games. 
Christian had a lot of fun, though.  A whole lot.  He said he loves baseball and he wants to play it every year.  Even the parents had a good time.  I think every one of the parents were very disappointed when Ryan said he wouldn't be back to coach the summer league.

 

 

Tay signed up for CHEEEEER!!  This is so perfect for her!  She absolutely LOVES it.  The teachers and older students adore her... which is a super thing because she is the problem kid.  Its not because she is trying to be, she just gets side-tracked watching the big girls perform or picking her nose in the mirror.  The coach will redirect her.  Tay will smile.  Then, she will bunny hop back to where she is supposed to be.  I love the strict and no-nonsense approach of the coaches.  They love on and play with the kids, but they push them to pay attention and work hard.  These are great life lessons.

 

Lets go Rangers!!!

We all went to the Rangers game again this year, and took CK with us this time.  It was sort of for his birthday... we had a hard time getting the tickets for a party of 15 so it was a late birthday event. 
I hadn't realized that it was his first time until we were getting close and he asked a bazillion questions like "Is that it?", "Will we ride those rides?" (pointing at Six Flags), and "What do we do?".  I kept telling him to just wait, and then I realized he was just super duper excited.  So, Ryan and I explained every detail we could think of.
He has been to seen the Padres play in San Diego and been to a few minor league games, but this was his first RANGERS game... a team he holds up on a pedestal. Any opposing team he calls "the bad guys".
His little eyes lit up when he saw the stadium.  His entire face beamed when he first saw the field with the all players. 
Since he is a Jr. Ranger, he had a coupon for the store and a voucher for a free prize (small poster of the entire team).  He picked out a baseball bat for himself, a plush ball for Maven, and a hat for Taylor Rose. 

Man, it was a really late night. My mom watched the girls for us, thankfully. We didn't get out of that parking lot until 11pm! 
Super times, super times.
 

Junior Rangers Club

Ryan and Christian went out to the Ballpark for Rangers Day.  Some of the Rangers come out to talk to the kids about baseball, throw them a few balls, sign autographs, and all kinds of fun things.  This is all right up Christian's alley! 

Jim Kern and Mike Jeffcoat pitched to CK.  They were pretty impressed with his skills, too!

CK is now an official Dr. Pepper Junior Ranger.  He can't wait to go back and keeps asking if they can go every day. 

Baby and Baseball

I am coming up on my 17 week mark. In just one quick week, we finally get find out if its a boy or a girl. We are super excited to know! I just don't know how people can wait just to be surprised. I am not that patient!
We are both hoping for a boy, but will be happy with a healthy baby either way. It would just be easier since I already have all of the boy stuff. I saved a lot of Christian's baby clothes and all of his gadgets. I can't believe how much crap babies "need"!! I really think I did use all of it, too.
I don't remember having morning sickness this long with Christian. I did have it REALLY bad, but I think it went away around 14 weeks. I threw up again just this morning and still feel nauseous. I took medication for the first 13 weeks of this pregnancy to help with the vomiting. It was too difficult to work a full day and then go home to cook dinner, play with Christian, do laundry, and keep the house clean - all while taking a break every 30 minutes to make a run for the bathroom. Ryan has been a HUGE help with everything, but some things I would rather do myself. I become even more particular when pregnant... hard to believe!
If we have a girl, we are thinking of either Taylor Rose/Ann (Rose is a dual family name, but Ann just sounds great!) or Isla Rose (Isla is like island, the 's' is silent). I am leaning towards Taylor. If its a boy, Ryan really likes the name Dash Keegan. I like Ralley, but don't know about a middle name.
This little one has a lot to live up to! Christian is such a cool and mellow kid with lots of talents. I hope this one is equally entertaining and well behaved.

And a quick note about that sweet Christian... we signed him up for baseball! Its really t-ball, but Christian calls it baseball. The team name is the Rock Hounds. He has a game every Saturday. We went to the parents meeting this past Saturday. CK is by far the smallest kid on the team! Little muchkin. The cut-off birthday is September 1, and since Christian's birthday is on August 10 he might also be the one of the youngest. But that kid sure can hit a fast ball, curve ball, or any other kind of ball you throw his way! He's a natural. I will post pics of his cute little miniature uniform once we get everything.